parkrun#350 event#95

Reason for visit – need something special for my arbitrary 350th, of course!

There are some parkruns which are on the “must do” bucket list, and Inis Meain, one of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, has rapidly secured its place on that list.

I’d been gutted when I couldn’t make a previous UK parkrun tourists group visit, as I was travelling to Scotland that day, see Deputy dawg blog. So I was delighted to find that another semi organised trip was planned for the end of August. And, more excitingly, this would be my 350th parkrun!

Milestones are hard won: you maybe get a 50 T shirt after little more than a year’s parkrunning, with the 100 shirt another year away. Then it’s a whole 3 years plus wait for a 250 shirt, and another FIVE years minimum before a 500 shirt is yours. So it’s no wonder we resort to daft challenges in between times, and also celebrate “arbitrary” milestones in our own way….

Access:

This is NOT an easy one to get to. You can’t just drive there, you need to book a ferry or plane trip, and both of those are subject to the vagaries of the weather. I booked a ferry trip from Doolin, which is a 4 1/2 drive from me, but wisely decided to go down the night before. I stayed in a BnB in Ballyvaughan, a charming village about 20 miles north, and on the Saturday morning I took the glorious coastal road round to Doolin. If you are going to stay a few days (and you’d be well advised to!) then Doolin is colourful and has some lively pubs and aran sweater shops. But it’s also a popular tourist destination, so expect availability and prices to reflect this.

If you are in Ballyvaughan, then Monks seafood restaurant comes highly recommended, but you do need to book in advance.

The outward ferry left at 9, and with a short stop to drop passengers off at Inis Oirr (small island) arrived at 9.45. The views from the ferry are nothing short of breathtaking, with the Cliffs of Moher standing resplendent to the east, and the magnificent Twelve Bens behind the sparkling waters of Galway Bay.

Once off the ferry, it’s a good 2km stroll up to where the parkrun starts.

Facilities:

There are loos at the community hall en route, and at the school hall where the briefing takes place. When I visited there were water bottles and muffins afterwards, but there is also a pub which does a selection of toasties and pizzas, as well as a shop/ cafe that has some small snacks.

To pass the rest of your time on the island while waiting for the return ferry at 4.15, you could visit a few viewpoints, enjoy the sense of calm, maybe go for a swim.

Course:

2 laps on tarmac on roads, where there SHOULD be no cars! It’s a tough hilly start, followed by a flattish section, followed by a downhill section, another flat, and repeat. Cheery marshals at each corner, and even some support from locals.

Time:

I’m still adopting a “walk the ups, run the downs” approach, plus I was stopping to take photos, so a 46-46 was fine by me. I’m pretty sure what position token I got, though the official results say 66.

Crowd:

I have to admit, I was expecting more of a “party bus” atmosphere at the port and on the ferry. Everyone seemed quite subdued, and I didn’t even see any group photos being taken. I was delighted to meet (again) Monica – this was her completing the full Irish set, a previous attempt having fallen foul of fog with her plane cancelled.

Gear:

I’d forgotten my cow cowl (but I didn’t see any others), and wore my reinforced front trousers, With Me Now top, world tourist jacket, and my Jog Lisburn hat, which turned out to be my MVP. It also held a 250 (runs) and a 100 (volunteer) badge, which together celebrated the 350.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I’d been listening to RTE Lyric on the way down, and smiled/cried at Liam Neeson’s rendition of Van the Man’s “Coney Island” – wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?

And the rest:

Those other daft challenges I mentioned? Well, one of them is “Old Macdonald”, for completing parkruns beginning with E,I,E,I,O. So this was my second I, so completing that badge!

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

Filed under: Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: 350, Inis Meain | 1 Comment »